Collapsible hand saws and collapsible shovels are known to be desirable equipment for hunters, campers, backpackers and the like. It is known to have a light weight saw useful for wood cutting, shelter construction and field dressing of game. Also known in the art is a light weight shovel useful for digging or scooping snow. Combination tools of various types are also known.
Heretofore, however, the advantages of a collapsible combination tool having ease of assembly and disassembly combined with trouble-free operation have not been seen.
In order to best view the advantages of the present invention a summary of the most relevant prior art follows below.
Mountain Rat Enterprises makes and sells a "Durango Saw." The Durango Saw 15 (FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b)) has handles 1 and 2, crosspiece 3, tensioning rod 4 and tensioning loop 5. Crosspiece extending projections 11 and 12 fit into handle holes 13 and 14 respectively. A saw blade 6 having mounting holes 16 and 17 fits into blade slots 7 and 8. The saw blade 6 is attached to handle 1 by inserting blade-holding pin 9 into mounting hole 18 and through saw blade mounting hole 16. The saw blade 6 is attached to handle 2 by inserting blade-holding pin 10 into mounting hole 19 and through saw blade mounting hole 17.
Problems with the Durango Saw 15 include lack of means for securing the tensioning rod 4. This allows the tensioning rod to be knocked loose when cutting wood or cutting into the chest cavity of large animals, thereby resulting in a lack of tension on the saw blade 6 and a lack of rigidity in the Durango Saw 15 as a whole. The Durango Saw 15 also lacks means for mounting the saw blade 6 horizontally for flush cutting. The Durango Saw 15 also has small blade-holding pins 9 and 10 for mounting the saw blade 6 which can be dropped and lost in the woods.
The present survival saw invention improves the Durango Saw 15 by providing a hole in the crosspiece to retain the tensioning rod and keep the tensioning rod out of the way when cutting. The present invention also improves the Durango Saw by providing for both vertical and horizontal mounting of the saw blade. The vertical handles of the present invention are beveled to separate bone and tissue when field dressing game. In addition, the tensioning strap can be used to carry firewood bundles and can be used as an emergency tourniquet or sling. The present invention has no small parts that can be easily lost. The survival saw can be combined with the case to form an emergency snow shovel.